Halloween
OCTOBER 31, 2023
10/28/23 7:50 AM
Well, as I publish this post it's Halloween eve and we're only hours away from Halloween and a full day from the time where kids go scurrying for candy. We live out in the middle of nowhere so there won't be any kids collecting candy over our way.
Last year was our first Halloween in this home and we didn't have anyone visit. Since that time, we have discovered that a few smaller kids live in one of the houses on our street and just down from us, but I suspect if they go candy grabbing it will probably be at a church or in a location where the houses aren't so sparse.
We have five houses in a row and then it's pretty empty unless you include the two houses down just a bit and across the street. Even with seven homes on steep slopes, that's a lot of work for not much candy. We'll probably just turn the lights off and be done with any concerns.
So, what is Halloween anyway? According to the History Channel:
Halloween is a holiday celebrated each year on October 31, and Halloween 2023
will occur on Tuesday, October 31. The tradition originated with the ancient
Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes
to ward off ghosts.
In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to
honor all saints. Soon, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of
Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween.
Over time, Halloween evolved into a day of activities like trick-or-treating,
carving jack-o-lanterns, festive gatherings, donning costumes and eating treats.
Ham Radio
OCTOBER 30, 2023
10/28/23 6:50 AM
Looks like I'm still out of commission until November 1st when my power supply is supposed to arrive, repaired, and in good order. Looking forward to getting back on the air with it.
I don't mind confessing that I'm a bit concerned. Perhaps I'm just catastrophizing and perhaps that's okay.
It's just that the repair guy barely heard me out with the problems I was having and then quickly diagnosed that my power supply needed an "update." I went back and tried to further explain the problem but he was already locked in on his proposed solution.
I took the risk when he was preparing my power supply to be shipped and asked him if he tested it. He responded with something about when he says a piece of equipment is repaired then it's repaired. He never did indicate that he tested it.
Well, there has been a lot of wait time on my end. Three weeks total with two of those three weeks tied up in shipping back and forth across the country.
So I hope he knew what he was doing and that it's now working. I don't mind admitting that I didn't really understand how the problem could show up in the way that it did, so perhaps I'm also quite capable of not understanding how (or why) an update might correct the problem.
I guess I'll find out next Wednesday.
Heating and Air
OCTOBER 29, 2023
10/24/23 7:05 AM
It's good to get a twice annual check on our Heating and Air system. One check for the fall (cold season) and one check for the spring (warm season.)
Our guys came out today to run a check for the upcoming winter season. From what he had to say, it sounds like all systems are go.
I want to have our systems in good working order and sleep better knowing that maintenance is routinely performed against our equipment. It's just the right thing to do and we're blessed to be financially able.
I don't make any claims to being an expert, but I know enough to be able to get into trouble and probably not enough to be able to get out of it. That's why I feel good about having these guys out twice a year to keep things running well.
In Case You Missed It
OCTOBER 28, 2023
10/22/23 10:55 AM
Tucker Carlson shares another video containing a lot of verbal missteps from our president. It's worth taking time to view. It's 38 minutes long and was apparently shared about six days ago.
Click here to watch the video.
Lexington Lab Band
OCTOBER 27, 2023
10/22/23 8:10 AM
Just finished a 3 miler. Good run!
Today is Sunday, October 22nd and last night (Saturday, October 21st) I went to YouTube for the evening. I know, I'm way ahead on my posts. Anyway, on YouTube I was introduced to a band that I hate to admit I just discovered despite the amount of time they have been around and doing amazing covers.
As the title suggests, they are called the Lexington Lab Band. To say they were good would be an understatement. These folks were on par with Leonid and Friends, another high caliber covers band, and that's really saying something.
As the band's name suggests, they are from the Lexington, Kentucky area. I'm quite impressed with the quality of musicians they must have up that way.
The band has a core of very talented instrumentalists and singers. And the guy who came up with the idea has a nice studio where he mixes down the music and produces the videos from clips taken by a wide array of camera people who have very high quality cameras and video-related equipment.
I heard covers that were 7 years old and other covers that were only 1 year old. Those numbers suggest they've been around a while and have some longevity.
They cover everyone from Stealy Dan, to the Eagles, Chicago, and Boston. There were many more groups covered and a wide array of songs and musicians. The quality of their work was second-to-none and I even watched a lengthy video that described how the band came together and how they prepare for each session.
What an amazing story!
Click here to listen to any song from their playlist.
Great Again
OCTOBER 26, 2023
10/21/23 8:05 AM
Well, I finished Great Again by former president Donald J. Trump. It was published before he was elected to the presidency so that cast a different light on things.
My amazing soulmate asked me what my takeaway was from the book. I had to think about that for a minute. The chapters were numerous and short and each was a topic he considered important. Everything from energy to foreign policy.
As I said before, it was good to take a peek into his thinking and that was especially true considering he had not yet become president. A lot of what he had to say was more in reference to Obama, whom I suspect was president at the time Trump was writing the book.
A lot of his Trumpisms were nestled in the book. I'm referring to those things he said that most others would not say. His Trumpisms bordered on braggadocios. At least they tended to sound that way to me and I suspect to many others.
But it's all part of the way president Donald J. Trump communicates. He's very matter-of-fact, even when he shares things favorable to his image. That makes sense when you factor in the idea that winning is so important to him and what he shares is all part of his image of being a winner.
He had a lot of good and important things to share about his thinking. If you can get past the Trumpisms, he provided a lot of meat upon which to chew.
Venting
OCTOBER 25, 2023
10/20/23 04:05 PM
It's about politics and I'm venting. Pure and simple. If you don't want to read a post full of venting, now's your chance to close out and do something else.
I can't believe that we've turned things upside down, and I find it even more difficult to believe that so many have bought in on all of it. In fact, I don't believe that smart people have bought in on anything. They're just trying to keep their jobs. I'm guessing it's the dumb and/or angry people who have bought in on the lies.
Corruption has become an effective tool for politicians who are willing to go there. And now we live in a time where people will avoid a bad actor with a good plan in favor of a good actor with a bad plan.
How did we ever get here? Will voters ignore a bad platform in favor of a candidate?
I can't wait to see how the 2024 elections turn out. Will people vote in a manner that makes them useful idiots for a corrupted system? Or will they see through it all and recognize a corrupted party for what it can and has accomplished.
Do people truly hate Trump so much that they would support a guy who has weaponized just about everything that can be weaponized in the political arena? This is not about liberals versus conservatives. This is about competence versus incompetence. And more important, this is about evil.
Illegal immigration, angry people, politicians on the take, a corrupt legal system, an incompetent and senile president, and on, and on, and on. Can this mess even be cleaned up if we clean house in the next election?
And what about those who are against Israel? How did they get to a place where they can actually ignore goodness in favor of evil? Are they that angry?
I wonder...
More from Tucker Carlson
OCTOBER 24, 2023
10/21/23 12:30 PM
What to believe? I confess I drank the Kool-Aid on this one. I drank the Kool-Aid poured by democrat party leaders. And now, with the evidence being presented here by Tucker, I'll have to regroup on my thinking.
I should have seen it coming. I should have seen the writing on the wall. But I didn't. After this, I see things differently.
Click here to watch the video.
Police State
OCTOBER 23, 2023
10/21/23 12:30 PM
Police State is another interesting movie by Dinesh D'Souza in collaboration with Dan Bongino and featuring Nick Searcy. This is one I look forward to watching when it becomes generally available.
Click here to watch the trailer.
Great Again
OCTOBER 22, 2023
10/20/23 7:20 AM
In my Audible account, I am reading Great Again by former president Donald J. Trump.
It's a short book. As such, and because it was far less expensive, I purchased it with Cash. I'm also out of credits until tomorrow when I provide my monthly payment and am rewarded in turn with another credit for any book. I'll use it on a lengthy and more expensive book.
There's a lot of chapters in Great Again and each is relatively short. They're usually somewhere around 20 minutes as opposed to some of my other books where chapters are one hour or more and the overall read time for the books are more than twice as long.
I had mentioned previously that I may look at Marco Rubio or Rand Paul but I'm no longer sure if I want to go in that direction. I guess that's the fun part about earning an additional credit from Audible. I am provided with an opportunity to pick up another book.
I'll have to finish Great Again first. Despite the fact that this book was published before he became president, It's still very interesting to take a peek into our former president's thoughts. I tend to agree with a lot of what he says, although not everything.
Running and Fitness
OCTOBER 21, 2023
10/19/23 11:25 AM
Well, I can see that it will be good to shift to 2 milers next year. In fact, it will be good to make a move entirely to 2 milers toward the end of November.
I've backed into where I need to be with my mileage and am doing 3 milers on the days when I don't have weight training. I do 2 milers with the weight training and will shift to them entirely for the end of November and all of December and that should provide a 1,000 mile finish to 2023.
I've hit that point in life where 3 milers are just too tough. I can do them but it gets my heart rate up where it probably doesn't need to be. It probably doesn't help that I'm doing 8.5 minute miles. But strange as it may sound, slower just doesn't feel like a comfortable running speed.
I've already backed down from 8 minute miles. They're okay for races but not for consistent training on a daily basis.
When I currently do a 2 miler, I take a very short break between miles one and two. When I currently do a 3 miler, I take very short breaks between miles one and two and between two and three.
The breaks I take are equivalent to a bit less than 1/20th of a mile. I don't do a walk like I used to do when I ran outside. I simply step off of the treadmill at step 80 (in a 140 step mile) and get back on just before the next mile kicks off.
I accomplish that in a silly way, but I simply count my steps and step off the treadmill at step 80 and back on (counting in my head) somewhere in the 130's. I watch the treadmill distance and it tells me when my break is over and I'm always back on the treadmill by that time and I just start counting again.
Silly, but I count the steps in each mile. Somehow, they go by faster that way and it works especially well for managing those points where I take a short break.
According to the Runner's World magazine, the running breaks became popular back when I was still running outside and doing distance races. I never wanted to go that route, but found some folks doing it when I ran races.
In fact, I used to pass one guy when he would take his walking break and then he would consistently pass me when he started running again. For me, not walking was more a pride thing than anything else. I guess that's why it was so difficult to try it as I got older and needed the walking breaks on those faster race runs.
Power Supply
OCTOBER 20, 2023
10/18/23 8:55 PM
Well, looks like my previous post back on the 15th was a bit hasty and premature. My power supply failed consistently today.
Fortunately, I spoke with Fred from the Astron Corporation who handles their repairs and he indicated that there is an update that would take care of my power supply problem. He even suggested that I could do it, but I made him aware that I don't have an electronics bone in my body.
He said to go ahead and send in the power supply and he would apply the update. He also indicated that the shipping charge would far exceed the cost of applying the update. That was good news so I packed up the power supply and shipped it off from the UPS store.
I look forward to once again having a working power supply. It will be good to be able to get back on the air again now that everything else is in good working order.
History
OCTOBER 19, 2023
10/18/23 7:05 AM
I'm blessed to have a wife who is such a great historian. Heck, I joke all the time that I'm not even sure when the war of 1812 was fought. Fortunately, Google comes to the rescue over and over again for all sorts of factoids.
Such is the case with Israel. Ben Shapiro has a 2 year old video that provides a great 40 minute history lesson for the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
There's no way to summarize such a lengthy and detailed presentation, but he sure does a great job of answering the open-ended questions I left in a post a few days ago.
It seems a fair and objective history lesson of the entire event, from my perspective anyway. Click here to watch the video.
Fall Leaves
OCTOBER 18, 2023
10/17/23 9:20 AM
I can tell when I've over-dosed on all that is going on. I write about something simple like the fall leaves.
Patty mentioned this morning what I was thinking. We both are wondering what the plan is for our yard crew.
We're guessing that they intend to do one more run at the yard and to include the leaves in the mix. That makes sense although we're also wondering if the grass is going to get too tall in the meantime.
It seems to be growing pretty tall in just a couple of spots, but seems to me that the growth has stalled most everywhere else.
Our yard crew does another yard across the street too, and their yard hasn't been touched either and is getting tall in a few spots like ours. I guess we'll see...
Kabul
OCTOBER 17, 2023
10/16/23 7:00 AM
Well, I finished Kabul. What a long read that was, even if it was read aloud to me.
My take away was the level of corruption in our withdrawal from Afghanistan. Everything was promised but literally none of those promises were kept.
It was all about the president's opportunity to say that there had been a complete withdrawal no matter the tragic costs that came along with it. It was a book that stirred up strong emotions with no release at the end.
The detailed account painted a tragic picture beyond anything I could have imagined. To be quite honest, it was difficult to stay with the book once I began to see where it was taking me and how it was going to get there.
There was nothing uplifting. It was corruption from beginning to end. It will be quite a while before I want to travel down that kind of road again.
Now I'm left with Israel's war. And the level of strong support for Hamas and even Hezbollah, and against Israel. It's impossible for me to understand.
Antenna Support
OCTOBER 16, 2023
10/14/23 4:35 PM
I'm writing this a day ahead, but the picture won't be available until the day I publish. That's because Jonathan (our son) is coming over tomorrow to make a few needed adjustments to the hexbeam antenna and I plan to snap his picture while he's here.
Back when the antenna was loose, it went out of line for what I want to show up on the rotor. I've been using it just fine (northeast and northwest) but would like to extend its use down to the south.
It appears that the weight of the coax has pulled out all of the slack I use for turning the antenna with the rotor. It looks safe to do the 90 degree swing back and forth between NE and NW. But it doesn't look safe to point it south due to the insufficient slack.
The rotor also provides an additional 90 degrees beyond the 360 degrees of normal usage. I want to reset the flag on the rotor control to display those times I'm using that additional span. In order to get that where I want it, Jonathan will have to loosen the antenna, swing it about 15 or 20 degrees, and then tighten it back down.
Patty and I are taking Jonathan out for lunch as a thank you. We're going to see what kind of damage we can do at our favorite Mexican hangout. I know Patty will enjoy that time with our son too.
Now, all I need to do is to remember to snap his picture while he's here.
Power Supply
OCTOBER 15, 2023
10/12/23 8:15 PM
I had what appeared to be a serious problem in my Ham Radio setup. I was not getting full power out of my Transmitter. In fact, the power has been getting lower by a few watts. Suddenly, it dropped to a much lower power and across all bands.
I thought I was being pretty savvy discovering that the power supply might be the cause for all of my problems. Apparently, if the power supply goes bad and doesn't provide sufficient amperage to the rig, then the rig can't provide the desired power out.
A new power supply was going to cost me around $300 and that was going to be a problem. I just didn't want to spend that money on something that shouldn't be failing at this time. In fact, my last one blew up and had to be replaced a few years ago. This one shouldn't be bad already, despite the fact that I expose it to heavy usage.
Against all odds, I decided to see if the power supply could be repaired and if that was indeed what it needed. After all, the power supply indicated low amperage and I concluded that had to be the problem. Further digging pointed to only one thing that I could check. Everything else was going to require a skilled expert to check out.
The one thing I could do turned out to be quite simple. Check and make sure the power cables are all tightened down on the back of the power supply. There was no way it could be that simple but I checked anyway. And, guess what?!!! The cables were loose, I tightened them down, and everything started working perfectly.
In fact, the power out was back up to 100 watts on all bands, right where it's supposed to be. That hasn't been the case in quite some time. Well, truth is I still can only get about 75 watts out on 6 meters. I have no idea why that is the case but I can live with it for now since everything else is up where I want it to be.
I couldn't believe it. I would have never believed that the solution to the problem could be such a simple one. No way! Boy, was I ever wrong!
I still find it hard to believe. Even though, I'm so grateful for simple and cost effective solutions!
Oh, and did I mention I worked a new country? Zimbabwe! That's number 176. 
Hamas
OCTOBER 14, 2023
10/12/23 3:00 PM
I've been watching TV and some of the online systems and subscriptions we have and am in disbelief of the support I'm seeing for Palestine. How did these people come to such a conclusion about who they are going to support?
Well, Palestine is apparently not the problem. It's the group called Hamas, which is located inside of Palestine, that is the problem. I wonder how many understand this? I didn't!
I honestly thought Palestine was the problem. But if people are going to support Palestine they need to make it clear that they also support Israel. Otherwise, it's clear that they are supporting Hamas and therein lies a problem for Israel.
Clearly, I need further study to better understand the different demographics and how they sit within the various regions of the various countries.
For example, is Lebanon a problem for Israel? Well, Hezbollah is a problem and they are located in Lebanon to the north of Israel. But is Lebanon a problem per se?
I'll have to dig in on that one for an answer. I can't come up with a clear answer after a brief Google search.
I see that there may be need for mediation on a Lebanon-Israel border dispute. And, I see that Palestinians in Lebanon seem willing to engage in a battle with Israel. But I still haven't found a clear answer in terms of the position of Lebanon as it pertains to Israel.
For example, are these Palestinians who are located in Lebanon and are ready to engage Israel already members of Hezbollah or are they not? That would seem an important distinction but I haven't found it mentioned or covered anywhere yet in my search.
And how about Gaza? it's not a country, but rather a Palestinian territory. Or at least those in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank are part of 'Mandate Palestine.' So, what does that mean?
Another confusing part of that picture is that they were apparently captured by Israel during the Six-Day war in 1967. Not sure I understand what that means either.
On a different note, there are only roughly 15 million Jews world-wide with roughly 7 million in Israel and another roughly 7 million in the USA and smaller pockets located elsewhere.
That's compared to an estimated 1.5 billion Christians worldwide and an estimated 1.4 billion members of Islam, also worldwide. Interesting stats of which I had no idea.
What I do understand is that support for Israel is the key. You're either for them or against them. And, it's a Jewish thing too. And your either for them or against them too. Groups like Hamas and Hezbollah are anti-Jew and therefore, anti-Israel.
For them, it's not about acquiring land - it's about the destruction of the Jewish population. Apparently, Israel is trying to do the same in terms of wiping Hamas from existence.
What will make this all interesting is timing. Will China decide during this time to invade Taiwan, or should I say will China take steps to discredit any claims toward sovereignty made my Taiwan?
Will Hezbollah enter the conflict with Israel? And how will the U.S. handle support for Taiwan, Israel, and the Ukraine? Will the U.S. be able to offer support for all three if the conflicts occur simultaneously? And what kind of support (verbal, financial, boots on the ground) will each require?
Plumber
OCTOBER 13, 2023
10/11/23 4:55 PM
Well, we had problems with two toilets and I finally had to call a plumber. One I had to plunge and one was beyond plunging.
I was very surprised that the first two plumbers I called didn't even bother to return my calls. I left messages with both, but I suppose they weren't interested in such a potentially small job.
So after giving each plumber a couple of days to return my call, I finally reached a human being yesterday who said he could come out today.
Lee came out to fix my problems and fix them he did! He even went beyond the problems and noticed some other problems we've been having and took care of them too. What a nice job he did and worth every penny I spent.
Israel's War with Gaza
OCTOBER 12, 2023
10/09/23 4:20 PM
I've been watching with great interest the war between Israel and Gaza on Fox News. They've done a great job of featuring critical players in the story.
Apparently, Gaza attacked Israel first thing Saturday morning and things have only heated up since then.
There have always been bitter disputes but this is something very different and on a very different and much larger scale. In addition to the attack from The Gaza Strip to the south, it also appears that Hezbollah is now attacking from Lebanon to the north.
I've really been faced with doing a better job of coming up-to-speed on who's who in the region. According to Google, the West Bank and Gaza, are known as Palestinian territories. East Jerusalem and Israel all form part of land known as Palestine since Roman times. These were also the lands of Jewish kingdoms in the Bible, and are seen by Jews as their ancient homeland.
It was particularly interesting to see the protests going on in New York City with Israel supporters on one side of the street and the Palestinian supporters on the other side. It's also going to be interesting to see if President Biden delivers on his promised support for Israel.
Kabul
OCTOBER 11, 2023
10/09/23 3:50 PM
Today I'm purchasing another book. It's the last credit I have available and I have given a lot of thought to the purchase.
I really like Rand Paul and Marco Rubio and will probably look in their direction for upcoming purchases. But not for my very next purchase.
On Epoch TV I watched and listened to Jerry Dunleavy, co-writer of the book entitled Kabul and I want to take a much deeper dive into that arena than was afforded by the Epoch TV segment. As such, my next purchase on audible will be for the book, Kabul.
On audible.com, readers are presented with an option to hear a 5 minute segment of any book in which they might be interested. In listening to that 5 minute segment of Kabul, I was hooked. I look forward to sharing my thoughts on this website after I finish the book.
Audio Books
OCTOBER 10, 2023
10/08/23 4:50 PM
Just finished my second Tucker Carlson Book on Audible. This one was entitled Ship of Fools and was a rock solid publication. I like Tucker when he does an interview of someone like Victor Davis Hanson, and I also really like his books.
I like the fact that he reads his own audio books. It just adds to the story and I really like his down-to-earth approach.
There's clearly a lot of research that goes into his writing (it's not just
stream of conscious stuff as I feared) and he definitely covered a lot of ground
in this particular publication. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a
good read, or should I say a good listen.
More Technical Stuff
OCTOBER 09, 2023
10/06/23 1:50 PM
I found another error here on the blog. Fortunately, it was easily corrected.
The search feature always points to the archives. Unfortunately, it mentions the archives even when it finds something in the current month.
So, all I had to do was add a link to the current index file and present it as the current month in the archives. Now when you search for something that is found in the current month, that month is also found in the archives and the reference to the archive, in the search feature, is now accurate.
Recent Ham Radio Contacts
OCTOBER 08, 2023
10/04/23 7:45 AM
This is a page I pulled from QRZ.com that reflects my recent ham radio contacts.
Louisiana Continues to Fight Saltwater Intrusion
OCTOBER 07, 2023
10/04/23 12:50 PM
This is a follow-up to the original story posted on September 29th 2023.
Find the original story in the archives over in the left-hand menu.
Click on the image above for the follow-up story at accuweather.com.
Technical Stuff
OCTOBER 06, 2023
10/04/23 10:55 AM
I think I mentioned something related to this a while back. But, I thought it might be worth repeating.
As the reader may have noticed, there are two dates shown on each post. One of them includes a time-of-day stamp.
The date and time-of-day stamp pertain to the date and time that a post is actually composed and written. The other date pertains to the intended date of publishing to the internet.
Because I don't always get back down to my office and my computer at night and because I want to ensure a post is ready first thing in the morning, I tend to publish them anytime after lunch the day before the intended post date (the one that has no associated time-of-day with it.)
So, the things that I write pertain to the date and time they were written. In other words, it I mention last night that would be the night before the date and time the post was written - not having anything to do with the date the entry was posted.
I suspect that was probably obvious, but perhaps not. Either way, I offer the post as a point of clarification for blog entry dates and time-of-day.
YouTube
OCTOBER 05, 2023
10/02/23 2:30 PM
Last night I had a hard time going to sleep. I usually don't have any trouble falling asleep as is easily attested to by my wife. In fact, she has mentioned it to me more than once.
But last night I watched a seemingly innocent video about sailing. Trouble is, everything went down-hill very quickly in the video and I was hooked.
How in the world are they going to get out of this jam, I wondered to myself. It was not a pretty exit either. In fact, it was a very costly exit. That's as far as I want to go with a description of events, lest I work myself and any readers into a depressing tizzy.
I've mentioned before that I find it easy to imagine the absolute worst outcome for a particular event. In fact, I wrote about it in July of last year. My wife refers to it as catastrophizing and that's a great name for what I find so easy to do for far too many things.
Imagining something bad happening is far from the only problem. I add to it, whatever 'it' is, that it will also happen at the worst possible time and have the worst possible outcome. Talk about a real catastrophe! That's exactly what I'm talking about!
I think that there's a good reason I'm the way I am. I'm pretty confident that the real and underlying problem is one of being a perfectionist.
If I don't think I can generate a perfect outcome to whatever task it is that sits before me, then I should set it aside and move onto the next thing.
I've even read that perfectionists tend to be excellent procrastinators because they don't think they can do certain tasks to meet their perfected level of expectations. So, they put those tasks aside.
I suspect I'm going to need to work on that. Maybe I'll get to it tomorrow or sometime next week.
This is a Must Watch
OCTOBER 04, 2023
10/03/23 10:00 AM
I'm interrupting the normal sequence of events here on my blog to post an important message from Victor Davis Hanson presented during his most recent interview with Tucker Carlson on X (formerly Twitter.)
This is a must watch for every American voter. To watch and listen to the video, click on the image above.
Running and Fitness
OCTOBER 03, 2023
10/01/23 3:55 PM
I thought running was getting tougher, but I think not. Running has always been about the mental part and that's what seems to have gotten tougher.
So now I think that a stronger focus and a more positive attitude are going to be the things that determine how my running is going and that get me where I need and want to be.
Running has become an early morning adventure, much like when I used to get up early to run races. I always swore I was an evening runner. I enjoyed races but never the getting up early part. Running later in the day was always when I felt I was at my best and my strongest so that's also when I did my training.
But as the senior years have rolled in, all of that has changed. I really like getting my 'routine' out of the way first thing, and then having the day to enjoy whatever comes my way. That means weight training and running are the first order of business followed by a myriad of chores. I do have a couple of chores that fall later in the day, but the real challenges come (and are completed) early.
Running is no longer a public affair. I used to train for and run races to keep myself in shape. I enjoyed the opportunity to run races and compare myself to others my age. But with the balance issues that have accompanied my senior years, races and even running outside are no longer options. I am dependent upon holding on to my treadmill.
As such, I've chosen to 'simulate' what I can no longer do. So now the thing I use to keep myself motivated has become keeping a good and accurate log. It's something I've done for a long time already, but now there's a greater amount of focus that is involved. The log includes weight training, running, and I even log my daily weight and any weight loss or gain.
Losing the weight was one thing. Keeping it off has become totally another. The log helps me focus on that and the other priorities. In fact, I purposely keep my weight down so I can enjoy those random dinner and a movie date nights with my soulmate. Every now and then we go out for those, but quite often we'll opt to bring them in-house.
So, now it's all about staying focused and still being able to enjoy this season called retirement. Blending the two has been interesting to say the least. Now the goal is both to continue my focus on the important stuff and to enjoy life while I'm at it.
I Will Always Be...
OCTOBER 02, 2023
09/30/23 10:30 AM
Autistic.
As I mentioned in a recent post, I was never formally diagnosed, but as I've said before it sure would answer a lot of questions about my life to accept the diagnosis for that which has never been tested and diagnosed.
I'm going back to the Matthew character in the series, The Chosen. As I've said before, I can truly relate to him. It's how God wired me. It's in my DNA.
No matter what God shows me or allows me to see, I will always resort back to the way I'm wired. I'll say it again. It's in my DNA.
More than one can imagine, I wish my parents had understood autism. It might have helped them to better understand my thought process. The truth is that no one knew what Autism was back then. And no one knew how common it was.
To their credit, they were two of the most understanding parents a guy could ask for. They gave me the space to become the person whom God created me to be and my wife has picked up right where they left off in that respect.
For me, being a high-functioning autistic person has become my super-power. I'm (as I've said before) grateful! I'm grateful that God knew what He was doing and that he has chosen to reveal to me His intentions. It makes for a much better, and more comfortable, way of living. As comfortable as God wants me to be anyway.
Never would I have imagined how much there was and still is to learn from the soulmates that God chose for my kids. I'm far from wired like either of them and yet I can plainly see the gifts that God has provided for them and what He wants to teach me through those gifts.
Again, I'm not wired that way, but God has used their gifts to challenge me and to expand my thinking. I'm so grateful for what I have learned and continue to learn from each of them. And I'm especially grateful that Allie and Jonathan had the wisdom to make such wonderful choices.
I would be remiss if I failed to credit my own soulmate for all that I have leared from her about my super-power. I fear I would have been clueless without her knowledge and wisdom. I'm so grateful for the doors to understanding which she has opened for me. Her research skills are amazing!
God has been so good to all of us!
Grateful
OCTOBER 01, 2023
09/30/23 7:05 AM
Grateful.
I've mentioned this before.
It's a word that best describes my thoughts toward God's involvement in my life.
In fact, a quick search for 'grateful' here on the website would indicate the word has been used in 64 posts - 65 after this one.
I honestly believe that only the design of God could have allowed both Patty and I to retire. There is no way I could have financially prepared for retirement on my own.
And it was sort of a 'just in time' process. In our last couple of moves we were able to sell our homes well above our purchase price and put the money in savings. That's especially true for the sale of the Crawfordville home, but also true of our last four home sales.
I really mean it when I say that I think God looked down upon me and realized I would need his help. So, He stepped in big-time.
There's no way I could ever be tempted to write something about the topic of 'how to retire' except to say that God intervened, even when I didn't ask Him.
I think He looked down upon me and said to himself that he had better help this pour soul if this pour should hope to retire. There's no false humility here. It's how I honestly feel and what I believe. I am convinced He did this for us.
I also provide a lot of credit to my dear wife who was so able to look ahead and see the benefit of avoiding a lump sum on her (early) retirement payout and instead opting for a monthly retirement payment. Thank you dear for your wisdom in that matter.
Copyright © 2024 Hutch DeLoach